Winter soup

Ribollita

By: Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi
From: Tuscany
Serves: 6-8
Photographer: Helen Cathcart

This is a winter minestrone made with the dark, robust leaves of cavolo nero, a native Tuscan kale. We had this soup with our friend, Franca Buonamici, from Lucca, and drank it with the neighbour’s homemade red wine. It was a wonderful combination and quite touching to know that it dates back centuries.

Using three different cabbages is not strictly necessary but you would be surprised how their flavours differ. The white cabbage is quite sweet against the bitter kales. This is a dish that can change completely according to what vegetables you have available, what is growing in your 'orto' (vegetable garden) or what you have in the back of the fridge (you can add the chopped leftover vegetables from a stock into the soup, too – nothing goes to waste in a Tuscan kitchen). The soup can be eaten after cooking but traditionally it is left for a day then layered with saltless spongy Tuscan bread and cooked again. It is often served with a spring onion: I find this a little overpowering, but the choice is yours!

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient

For the soffritto

Quantity	Ingredient
6 tablespoons	extra-virgin olive oil
1	medium carrot, finely chopped
1	large red or white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1	large celery stalk, finely chopped
2	garlic cloves, peeled and lightly squashed
1-2 teaspoons	salt
	freshly ground black pepper, to taste
large handful	parsley, finely chopped
1 sprig	rosemary, (optional)

For the soup

Quantity	Ingredient
250g	potatoes, cut into 2 cm dice
250g	white cabbage, shredded
400g	raw cavolo nero leaves, roughly chopped
75g	curly kale, tough stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped, (optional)
1 litre	Poached chicken & chicken stock
250ml	bean cooking water or more stock
250g	cooked cannellini beans

To serve

Quantity	Ingredient
6 large slices	tuscan-style crusty bread
1	garlic clove, peeled
6-8	spring onions, roughly chopped, (optional)
	good-quality olive oil

Method

Cook all the soffritto ingredients for the soup base together for 10–15 minutes in a large stock pot over a low heat until soft. Add the potatoes and shredded white cabbage and cook over a medium heat until the cabbage starts to wilt. Add the cavolo nero and kale to the dish and stir through.
Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through. Divide the cannellini beans in half and add one half to the soup. Purée the other half with a stick blender, then add this to the soup too. Cook for a further 10 minutes or so to warm the beans through. Taste and season as necessary. If desired, serve straight away, or let the soup cool before transferring to the fridge if keeping overnight.
If you are serving the soup in the traditional Tuscan way, preheat the oven to 180°C. Toast the bread until lightly crisp, then rub each slice with the garlic clove. Pour a layer of the soup into an ovenproof serving bowl, top with a few slices of bread followed by another layer of soup. Repeat until the bread and soup is used up. Cook in the oven for 20–30 minutes or until the soup is piping hot and the bread has soaked up the juices. Serve warm with spring onions, if using, and a swirl of your best olive oil.

Tags:: Italy; Italian; Caldesi; Tuscany

Winter soup

Ribollita

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For the soffritto

For the soup

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